Man accused of killing parents found guilty but insane

A man accused of murdering both his parents was found guilty but insane at the Central Criminal Court yesterday

A man accused of murdering both his parents was found guilty but insane at the Central Criminal Court yesterday

Martin Doherty (27), of St Lelia Street, Limerick, had denied that on September 21st 1998 he murdered his parents, retired Garda William Doherty (58) and his wife Teresa (50) at their home in Monadreen, Thurles.

After 21 minutes' deliberation, the jury unanimously found that Doherty was guilty of the acts but that he was insane at the time.

Doherty will stay in the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, until the pleasure of the Government is known.

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Doherty simply nodded his head and mouthed the words "Thank you" to the jury as the verdict was announced.

Thanking the jury members for their efforts, Mr Justice Murphy discharged them and excused them from jury service for three years.

In the closing speeches by counsel, both the prosecution and the defence agreed with evidence by consultant psychiatrist Dr Brian McCaffrey that Doherty was schizophrenic at the time of the double killing and that he was entitled to be found guilty but insane.

Previously the court had heard that Mr and Mrs Doherty had been living in their bungalow in Thurles with one of their three sons when they were stabbed.

Mr Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, said Doherty stabbed his father, who was in his son's old room at the time, and when his mother came into the room he stabbed her as well.

Mr Gageby said Doherty had told gardai he had "stabbed him [his father] in the arms and belly and anywhere I could get him. [When Mrs Doherty came into the room] I stabbed her in the belly and anywhere I could get her. It was the best night of my life and I'm glad I did it," one statement read.

After killing both his parents, the statement said Doherty had washed, changed his clothes, had a cup of tea and a cheese sandwich and later inflicted further injuries on the now most probably dead couple.

Reading from the 1883 Act governing criminal insanity, Mr Gageby requested that an order be made that Doherty "be kept in custody as a criminal lunatic - those are the words of the Act, not mine - in the Central Mental Hospital until the Government's pleasure can be known".